Narrows Bridge Tolls will increase
When people contact me about living in Gig Harbor, there are 2 main concerns that I frequently hear: 1. Is there any affordable housing (yes) and 2. How bad is the commute? In July of ‘07, the 2nd (well 3rd if you count the one that fell into the Sound) Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened and the commute time has been drastically reduced.
Getting from Gig Harbor across the Narrows Bridge and back again used to pose some definite problems at various times of the day. Now, since the opening of our new bridge, I have yet to experience any significant slow downs in either direction at any time of day. If you’re looking to take a job in Seattle or Tacoma, and have considered moving to Gig Harbor, don’t let the drive stop you.
I posted a blog a while back with some public transportation options from Gig Harbor to Tacoma and Seattle. Driving (if you discount the odd way that Washington drivers drive–no turn signals, left lane goes slower than right, etc) isn’t much of an issue, either.
So what about the tolls on the Narrows Bridge? Currently, if you pay cash it’s $3 round trip, and if you have a “Good-to-Go” pass it’s $1.75 round trip (you only pay heading east). It looks as though both of those numbers will jump by $1 here in the near future for the next year. Still not a bad deal compared with many other toll roads across the nation (I remember driving from Chicago to Kenosha, WI, and it felt like we stopped every 2 miles to pay another $.85 toll). For my money, the lifestyle and beauty of Gig Harbor, Wa, combined with the ease of commuting now, is well worth the money!
